Lufthansa Technik on Tuesday celebrated the arrival of the first Airbus A350 aircraft for maintenance and checks at its Luqa facility.
The long-haul aircraft, which arrived in Malta on Friday, is undergoing a scheduled C-check.
Lufthansa Technik Malta is the only facility in the company’s worldwide base maintenance network that is capable of conducting detailed checks on the
A350.
The aircraft has a high percentage of composite materials which pose many new requirements for the inspection of its airframe, which is a central aspect in the checks conducted at Lufthansa Technik Malta.
Addressing staff and the media, CEO Marcus Motschenbacher said the aircraft is the "most modern member of the Lufthansa fleet".
"This represents the future of this modernised product portfolio of Lufthansa Technik Malta. It also means stable employment and that is important," he said.
Mr Motschenbacher thanked the government for the trust shown towards the company, and ministers Julia Farrugia Portelli, Owen Bonnici and Silvio Schembri, who were all present, for their ministries' support.
The ministers were also given a tour of the hangar by Mr Motschenbacher.
On her part, Ms Farrugia Portelli, as Tourism Minister, gave a breakdown of the aviation industry and the success it had been enjoying in recent years.
"Demand for such services is only expected to increase. The government recognises the efforts that have been made in recent years to further strengthen operations in our country," she said.
Mr Schembri said that the economy was set to benefit as the "aviation sector is strengthened even further". This, he said, created more economic activity as well as more "quality employment opportunities".
He also thanked his predecessor Chris Cardona, who was not reappointed minister when Prime Minister Robert Abela took over earlier in January.
Dr Bonnici, as Education and Employment Minister, said that a fifth of the 650 employed by Lufthands Technik were students or trainees.
"Since its inception, Lufthansa Technik Malta and MCAST have already produced and trained more than 500 people across various trades and skills," he said.